Mia Oh-My-Uh

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Rating: 5 stars
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“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.”

Wow. Just like with The Fault in Our Stars, I put off reading this book because I knew it would make me cry. The high praise this book received built up my excitement and made me finally pull it off of my shelf. I dove right in and finished the book in about three days (it would have been one day, but I had other things to do) and Forman didn’t disappoint. Just like John Green, Gayle Forman created a heartbreaking novel full of mystery, romance, and tears.

The story is told in snippets, alternating between the present (Mia’s story as she is in the hospital) and the past (retellings of Mia’s life, especially her relationship with Adam). Mia is faced with the choice of staying and living her life or leaving. Mia’s story is heartbreaking and moving, but I have to admit that I didn’t cry like I thought I would. There were several times during the book that I thought I would cry, but I didn’t. Fair warning: You might want to go ahead and buy the second book at the same time because If I Stay ends with a cliffhanger that will leave you staring at the page wondering where the rest of the book is.